The Last Time I Saw You
by Skylark Evanson
Summary: "It's me... and I need you now." Five calls. Five pleas for help. One voice. *A four-shot.
1. Part 1

**A/N: GRAAAAAAAAHHHHH, I hate listening to Taylor Swift music while in an angsty mood. So this came out of the line "Because the last time, you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind. You gave me roses, and I left them there to die." The opening part inspired the title and the rest of it just kind of fit in with my initial train of thought. If you don't like Taylor Swift, just completely forget about all of what I just said and read because it has absolutely nothing to do with her or the song.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
>Warning: Contains bits of both Spitfire and Supermartian. Also, language. Not much, but enough.<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Last Time I Saw You<span>**

A weak voice was coming in. It was timid, afraid, trying hard not to break.

"It's me."

The voice was recognizable to anyone who had ever known him and his sweet little smile and those big baby blue eyes. Anyone would know that voice. That was how all of the messages started out. From that first sentence, they were personalized.

* * *

><p>Sapphire eyes widened as the comm in his ear fizzled and crackled, the weak voice coming through. "It's me." The only reason he had his comm was to keep tabs on the hero world. He never expected anyone to find him.<p>

He knew he'd recognize it anywhere. Not that tone though. That didn't sound like him. There was no pep, no cheer. No... nothing. Absolutely no emotion other than pure fear and a shaking sadness.

"I know you're off on your own in the desert. I know Miss M's been visiting you when she can. The zeta-beam doesn't work too well from Mars, civil war and all." A cough and a pause. "And I know the last time I saw you, you were leaving over that Superman issue. I get it, I do."

Superboy's fists clenched, knuckles turning white as snow and eyes blazing with deep blue infernos. The clone's anger management issues hadn't gotten any better over the years. Now twenty-one and struggling to get a grip on what kept him sane, he found that his only solace was in this self-induced exile. The only issue in staying alone was M'gann's ability to track him down. She was the only one to ever take any care of him now.

How he knew all this, Conner had no idea. He'd left those days behind four years ago. Tracking him down must've been near impossible, the clone figured.

"I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you."

How did he know anything? His life had gone on like normal. He was the only one trying to hold everything together. Superboy had fallen and crumbled just like the government and the world and every other shitty thing _in _the damn world.

"But I need you now."

This finally grabbed blue-eyed man's interest. A reason for calling. Just like him. Always needing help, always wanting a little assistance or a little this or a little that. The team had been left behind four years ago, but he'd never truly broken off friendships until the Superman issue had risen and proved itself too much of a challenge for someone with enough already on their plate.

No, the Man of Steel didn't have any control over what his clone did. Not after he turned eighteen. Finally, the fucking Boy Scout wanted to take some responsibility. No. Superboy wouldn't let him have it. He was going to be Conner now, no last name necessary. No Kent, no nothing. Living out in the desert, a life of solitude where he couldn't hurt anyone, where he couldn't cause any more damage to the people he only wanted to protect.

"Can you help me?"

A recording, that's what it was. There was a long pause as Conner listened a bit more closely for the kid's breathing on the other end of the line. Then the instructions came.

* * *

><p>"It's me."<p>

"Hell no." She almost hung up the phone. Until she remembered it was just her voicemail. Either way, the kid had her number. Might as well listen to what he had to say. Not like she really had anything against the little guy. He wasn't bad or anything. Everything she remembered about him was generally positive stuff that made her smile at the memories. Sometimes annoying and a complete bastard, but she couldn't help but smile at some of the aster things he did.

"I figured it'd be hard to get a message to you. It was. A lot of tracking. I had your number saved in my phone for emergencies like this." A tiny pause and a quick intake of air as if wincing in pain. "I'm glad I committed it to memory." She thought she detected a smirk in his voice.

She had to take this piece-by-piece. So... was he saying he was stalking her? It was just a voicemail. It was a bit creepy, but she had more messages from Wally about apologies back when they'd broken up and then all the other crap had happened. Her life had a moment when the shit hit the fan. And for some reason, it had led her to this.

She was back to living in her dad's banged up apartment, the one he used to hide hostages. She could hear the kicking on the other side of the wall of the most recent one. A congressman or someone important like that. A governor, maybe? Not the President, but someone up the chain. They were always set on different missions for the fact that they couldn't be paired up together and not feel the need to kill each other. Just being under the same roof was strain enough.

A cough. A pause. "The last time I saw you, you broke up with Wally. And I sympathized with you because I was sorry that he was such a jerk. He is. It's something you learn through the years, something you have to put up with."

She kept the phone pressed to her ear, but she couldn't help but feel those memories piercing her mind like vicious daggers. Wally. Her broken heart. And then leaving them all behind. Twenty years old and her feisty temper still hadn't dulled. Not yet. Wally. The ass. She physically winced before listening to that scared, soft voice continue.

"And I know you're back with the Shadows now."

"That fucking little bastard."

The message continued, her profanities wasted on ears that couldn't hear them.

"The Justice League has your updated files and everything, but don't worry, they don't have this number. I know exactly where you are almost all the time, but I would never give it away. You're still a friend." Pause. Slight rustling of clothing. "At least on this end, anyways."

Artemis had nothing against him. He wasn't a bad kid. A bastard and annoying to the point of making her want to rip her hair out, but he wasn't a bad kid. She never could bring herself to hate him the way she had hated Wally.

"And I know you killed him."

She figured one of them had to have known. Or even seen it. Of course, it had to be him. But for some reason, he hadn't confessed to being a witness to murder until after she'd taken her leave and vanished into the real world once more to wreak havoc on the innocent and do her job like she'd been initially trained. Artemis paced a little bit.

Had he been… protecting her?

"And I forgive you."

None of them had said that yet. He was the first. She shivered and sighed, a little bit of relief settling into her heart and mind. Of course, she'd only been getting messages from Wally since leaving. Even he had stopped after learning her dirty little secret. None of them wanted her back after that.

"But I need you now."

A quest. She figured there had to be a reason to call. He was never one to waste words. Not like Wally always did. The girl was willing to at least listen. She leaned against the wall and stared out at the city streets where car alarms were wailing and sirens screeched.

"Can you help?"

* * *

><p>She paused and slid the comm she'd kept from her time on the team, the comm she wasn't supposed to have, into her ear to receive the message she'd been beeped about earlier. No one knew she was still keeping in touch with Superboy after the split. She'd always been going off to see him whenever she got a spare moment alone or any chance she could zeta-beam herself without the other White Martians noticing.<p>

"It's me."

She almost squealed when she heard him. She had been keeping track of how he was doing through her Uncle J'onn, but she hadn't seen him since the final nerves had been tapped and the team had been drained of members. Or at least the first team.

"How've you been?"

She knew it was only a recording, but she still smiled. So like him. Kind, considerate, sweet, annoying in a subtle and cute way. It was just the way he always was. Maybe that was why she'd always felt the need to pinch his cheeks. But that would've been unprofessional. It was an impulse that she had suppressed for the longest time.

"I've been good. Been busy. Lots to do with taking care of the team and all." Talking about simple things. Stupidly simple things. She just liked hearing his voice. Knowing that there was someone on Earth who missed her presence.

Just like everyone else, Miss Martian had gone her own way. The civil war on Mars had bloomed into something fierce between the Green and White Martians. She'd decided that she was needed back on her home world than she was on Earth. The team was good enough without her. Superboy had been managing just fine with being on and off with the team at his will. Artemis had left and Wally had been moping more than flirting, but things had gone well. She left when she was nineteen. Leaving for two years had suddenly made Superboy head off on his own after a run in with his "father" and everything had fallen apart.

She was still sorting her life out, taking care of her twelve sisters and being used as a weapon on the side of the White Martians. J'onn was green and doing the best he could to help the White Martians to fight for freedom at least, but things were growing gruesome and no one was sure if the war would end. There was always the possibility that one of the two races could be completely wiped out by the storm of furious fighting.

For some reason, hearing his voice gave her a good sense of what home and peace used to feel like. What friends were. On Mars, all her friends were either dead or fighting in the frontlines; even they were surely going to be killed.

"Hope you're doing alright. Civil war probably can't be good for your economy up there or anything. I really hope you're not dead." A sharp, shallow intake of air. "Haven't heard from you in a few months. I think the last time I saw you was when you left for Mars. Or at least last time I really saw you. All that video chatting isn't the same."

Calling in was a bit harder. She could only visit Superboy once every two weeks and that was if she was lucky. On a good week when there was an attempt at a peace treaty, she could spend a few days with him out in the barren wasteland he called home. M'gann would've called in had she gotten the opportunity. She always loved checking in with him and seeing who all the new recruits were and how they were coming along. It was fun for her. A little slice of joy in her chaotic life.

"And I just wanted to ask a favor from you."

Listening as she sit locked away in a room to check the messages on the comm, she cocked her head, wondering what this was about. So it wasn't just a call to check in. Her brow furrowed slightly, lines creasing her forehead. Megan didn't mind this being a call for a favor; helping him was more like a game than a chore. With him, she never knew what she was up against.

"Can you come help me?"

She immediately slipped her comm back in her pocket before phasing through the closet's door and towards the zeta-beam teleporter. She had to get to Earth.

* * *

><p>The message started off with some coughing. But he could even recognize that. "Is that you?" asked Wally as he stared incredulously at the computer as the video message came through. No video feed was there; on the screen was the snowy static of what Superboy used to watch night and day.<p>

"It's me."

"Oh, dude, whe-"

More coughing and the rustling of clothing. He thought he heard the clicking of typing in the background, but it was hard to decipher. "I know everything that happened."

"No, you have no id-"

"I know what happened with Artemis, what happened with-" A cough. "-Artemis. I'm not stupid. I get it."

It hit Wally like a ton of bricks. A recording. He should've known and nearly growled at himself for not picking up on it sooner.

"And I know that you wanted to go solo. Wanted to be like Superboy and like Red Arrow and like everyone else who left. And I know you wanted to put the past behind you."

Losing Artemis over dumb shit… It'd been the biggest mistake of his life. He vowed never to make it again. Twenty years old and sick and tired of the speed gig, he was trying to live normally again. He had repaired what little was left of his old life and rekindle lost friendships. Everything with the team had been lost. He'd tried to reach out to Artemis, but once he found out what she'd done, he held no more interest in the archer. No room for traitors on his watch. And then seeing Superboy leave over his mentor problems and watching everyone else barely holding it together… He knew he wasn't going to last much longer.

Wally had decided long ago that leaving was his best bet.

He had his own apartment now. No rules, lots of booze. It was all he needed. Of course, he wasn't allowed to drink yet, but what was the difference? He had friends. He had a life. He had all the girls he could ask for as long as he got 'em drunk enough. Sure, it wasn't his ideal life. He had always wanted to follow in his uncle's footsteps, but after seeing what real freedom could be with that team… He hadn't wanted to lose that.

Freedom. Peace of mind. His own little slice of Heaven. That was what he had. He wasn't going back to any damn team, and he wasn't going back to being a sidekick anymore. He spat on the word sidekick. It was as spit on as the name Artemis.

"And I need you to put it behind you again now. Because I need your help. Last time I saw you, you were storming out the same way Red Arrow did. Back when he was Speedy. Remember that?"

He did. He'd felt terrified of losing one of his closest friends. And something suddenly clicked inside of him. "Damn." He'd left the kid in the exact same position they'd been in five years ago. Watching him stray from his hero life, run off on his own, go rogue. Leaving him without a friend to turn to. Because Wally was the last one to go.

"And I need you back."

A snort. Of course. Back to the damn team that he didn't even want to be on in the first place. It was Superboy's idea. It wasn't his. It was Kaldur's idea, not his. It wasn't his idea. Sure, freedom and knocking aside the term "sidekick" sounded great and all, but he wasn't stupid. He knew this wouldn't go over well.

And look at where they all ended up.

"Can you come help me?"

He snorted. No way in Hell was he going back on that damn team. No way. Wasn't going to happen. Not in a million years.

* * *

><p>He'd been sitting there and had been able to get the call in time if he'd wanted to hear it, but he didn't need to. He had the kind of caller ID that said who was calling out loud before all the ringing stuff kicked in.<p>

"It's me."

He recognized the voice. How could he not?

"I know you're probably pissed at me right now. I know you hate people really fast. But I didn't mean what I said."

A snort. Like _that_ was the truth…

"You're not just a sidekick. None of us are, got that? We're older, stronger, faster, wiser. This is who we are. I made a mistake, I know. I do that sometimes. We both do. You know the saying."

"Only human," he spat from his chair as he glared at the answering machine as it sputtered out the caller's words in an almost static sound.

"And I need your help now."

Of course. That damn kid was calling for help. He was half tempted to smash the answering machine.

"I know you hate me." There was a cough. "You can hate me all you want. I need your help now. Hate me, but I need you more than you know.

"And this isn't about you rejoining the team."

The anger seemed to fade to elevator music in his mind. And he listened to the instructions.

* * *

><p>"I'm in some trouble. I know the team split a long time ago. I know no one wants to come back, and I know most of you are pissed at me. But I'm all alone in the field right now.<p>

"We hit a snag in a rescue mission.

"The goal was to get in and capture the Prime Minister before Captain Cold could execute him and gain the signed right to have supreme control over the United Kingdom. For some reason, the government over there… I don't know, something happened.

"Point is, we didn't expect the whole place to be on ice."

There was a cough and some typing before the voice continued.

"If you don't know, the current team over here is Beast Boy, Batgirl, Wonder Girl, Aqualass and myself. I planned it so that Beast Boy could get in through a pipe and tap my wires to the main frame to get to the security systems. I tapped in, but we lost connection to BB. I don't know where he is or what happened. He's just dropped off the grid.

"Aqualass was supposed to be taking care of whatever ice problems we ran into, but I was busy with Beast Boy when we lost communication with her. I figured there was a guard or something, but I don't know what's going on. Everything just… it fell apart, okay? Shit hit the fan. My fault. Didn't look over the 'what-ifs' this week.

"Batgirl's still got communication right now. She's trapped up in some rafters. Her leg's pinned by an icicle that dropped. She's too weak to get out of on her own and I can't get there. I'm barely managing myself.

"And I don't know what happened, but Batgirl says she can see Wonder Girl. She's on ice. Frozen solid. Can't get out."

There was more typing. A sharp intake of breath.

"I'm trapped. I've got at least three bullets in me and can't stand up for more than a few seconds. I fucked up my arm and can't get out of here. It's getting too cold to do much and I'm not sure how much longer Batgirl and I can hold out or if Aqualass is even alive or… I just don't know…

"We've been holed up here for three days. No food, no water. No one's shooting at us, but no one can get in to help. They know they have the upper hand. Five of us around here. League can't get in without losing us. But I know you guys can.

"I know what happened with everyone. I know why you all left. The only reason I stuck around instead of going off on my own was because I was needed.

"And I need you now. You were the best team I ever had. Five years later, I'm pretty sure we could pull it off again. But we just need-" A sharp breath. A cuss was uttered. A whimper was released. "-I need help." There was a little gasp and a groan of pain. "You don't have to come. I can't make you. Never could, never would.

"But I really, _really_ don't want to die today."

And Robin relayed his coordinates, praying that maybe someone out there would hear him. He pressed his fingers into the wounds that stained his chest bloody red before sending out his five desperate messages. He'd wasted the last of his computer's lifespan on calling them instead of whispering his final goodbyes to anyone who would miss him. The blue screen went dead the second everything went through.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I've decided this would be a three-shot. Maybe two-shot, but I think it'll be three. Wow, that was… really long… I love it. Set five years in the future, if you couldn't tell. I tried to sprinkle in ages here and there. Reviews will make me get the next one up faster. Thanks for reading!**

**~Sky**


	2. Part 2

**A/N: So I put this off only a little bit. I was going to do it yesterday, but then I got to work on my own novel instead. So here's the next part of the three-shot.**

**Also, I'm glad two people picked up on it. Thanks go out to those two reviewers who noticed the slight change. Good readers, very good readers… Although none of you noticed that I spelled Conner wrong… It's fixed now, of course.**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Last Time I Saw You<span>**

"He told us to meet everyone else here." Superboy was the first to emerge from the shadows, Miss Martian close behind him as she floated out of the darkness, new white skin sensitive to this sort of light. The blue-eyed man looked around for signs of anyone else only to see the swelling blackness quiet and still. No movement.

M'gann held herself, arms wrapped tight around her body. Coming back to Earth for an actual mission felt so strange after her two years of being gone. Her brown eyes skimmed the area only to find herself alone with Conner; not even her telepathic range could pick up signs of life other than the crickets and the other animals that scattered the landscape around the warehouse two blocks out of Robin's position that was meant to be the meeting place. "They're not coming, are they?"

Conner hated to say it, but he thought they were all on their own. His lips remained pursed and silence emanated from him. Until it came down to the last minute, he'd remain hopeful. It was all he really could do.

"At least Robin will have you and me." Her voice was chipper as ever, a smile lighting up her face even in such a gloomy situation. "He may not have much of a team left, but he's got us." The girl would never let anything get her down. Nothing would stop her from her positive thinking. Not a war. Not death. Not even being left alone.

His lips twisted a bit on one side of his face, but he wasn't going to say it.

A skidding sound echoed behind them. "Hey, sorry I'm late, used to sitting around. Getting up and going places, yeah, not my thing anymore." The ginger stood there with his suit on, the pants showing a bit of his ankles and the boots squishing his feet. The shirt was snug and still fit decently though. "So, where is everyone?" he asked as he clapped his hands together, the sound ricocheting off the metal beams and steel walls of the warehouse. "Just us three?"

M'gann nodded, her heart lifting a little bit. Maybe they could pull it off if one more person arrived. All they needed was one more body, one more hero…

"Well, while we wait and hope and pray that maybe someone else in this world wants to save Rob, how have you guys been, huh?" Wally locked his fingers behind his head and stretched out his back a little, figuring he probably should've been hitting the gym instead of sitting around on his dingy couch watching old reruns of bad cartoons. His jade eyes closed as his face turned to the rafters that lingered overhead. "I've been good. Living it up. Getting over things, getting new things."

"You quit being a hero." Superboy's words were soft, but deep; meaning laid heavy on them. The translation, roughly, turned out to be "When did you become such a nimrod? That's my job."

"Yup." Wally was pacing in circles and exhaling loudly when he got the chance, liking the sound of his own voice as it echoed back at him in full-force. "I'm living the good life now. I don't need to be a hero."

"I'm stopping a civil war," remarked Megan as she drew her senses back to herself. She still wore that big, stunning smile that Wally remembered from all those years ago. For some reason, she made him miss what he used to be. She made him miss all the friends he'd made, all the night's he'd put in, all the video games he'd wasted himself on… She made him miss Robin. Because that was what was holding the team together all along. Her and Robin.

Superboy didn't remark on what he was doing with his life. Because, quite frankly, he was doing as little as Kid Flash. Probably less, actually. Suddenly, the clone felt smaller in the world. Being less than Kid Flash… that was probably the ultimate low.

"Good to hear everyone else is doing well," came a voice from above. "I'm fine too, my life being threatened every five minutes, but it's all good." A heavy sigh and the clacking of arrows in a quiver as a shadow leaned against the open pane of a window.

Silence fell like a cold rain, ice upon everyone's skin.

"Hate me all you want, I'm fine with it." Artemis took one step off the windowsill that was her hiding place and landed softly on a metal beam only two yards below, her stance like that of a cat. "I'm used to it, actually. The whole 'you're the worse thing that's ever happened to me' thing? Yeah, completely cool with it now." Her bow hung over one shoulder as the quiver slapped at her back. Her cerulean eyes watched the other three as they lingered below in the faint rays of moonlight that filtered in through one of the only two open windows.

A green glare was fired at her. "You never returned my calls."

"Let's be honest with ourselves: did you really want me to?"

Silence. Cold rain. Ice upon skin.

"Okay, is this everyone?" asked Artemis, being the only one to break the silence as Superboy glared at her with Wally at his side, Megan lurking behind them with her face to the ground in shame. "Because we got a bird boy to save if we're all set here."

It was at that moment an arrow whizzed past her ear. The only forewarning she'd had was the familiar _twang! _of a released shot and the two milliseconds necessary to move her head. "You killed him," hissed a voice from the shadows as the dark form of Red Arrow stepped out of the blackness.

Artemis had moved enough to hide behind a support beam. "This was why I didn't go down any further," she breathed mostly to herself. The words bounced around the nearly empty building.

"For the sake of getting to Robin faster so he doesn't freeze his little feathers off, can we hurry this up?" asked Kid Flash, antsy on his feet. He wanted to know what had happened just as much as the next guy, but there wasn't any time for this. They still had to work out a plan that could work. Then set it into motion and hope that Red Arrow wouldn't kill Artemis… That was kind of going to have to go on the backburner if at all possible.

"Guys," said the archer that hid up near the roof, "I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't want to kill Kaldur, I swear. It's a reflex. He found out-" There was a deep breath of air sucked into her lungs before she continued. "-who I am, and my first reaction was to put an arrow in his neck. I was trained by my father to kill, not save." She felt a bead of sweat racing down her forehead and then a second later, along the side of her neck. "You know who I am now, okay? And I'm here to save Robin just like the rest of you are. He knew all along that I killed him, even before the truth came out. Robin watched me kill Kaldur, okay? Can we let this go for an hour or two? Kill me later, save Boy Wonder now."

Wally was the first one to forgive, although he wouldn't say it out loud. "Come on," he instructed, snapping in Red Arrow's face. The red-haired archer had had his bow strung with an arrow barely a second after the first one had been shot. "We can deal with her on League time. Right now is Robin time."

"We're two blocks away from the coordinates he sent," Superboy began, trying to get the remnants of the first team built back together again. Some part of him felt hollow, being around all these people again. After so much solitude, this group, these friends, his team, it was all feeling so real. "The whole place is frozen over, that's what he told us."

"Not a problem now though," reminded Miss Martian, her hood pulled over her head and her eyes flitting from each member as Roy and Wally both pulled in closer to Superboy; Artemis was still hanging up in the rafters, listening. M'gann could tell that she wasn't coming down until she was sure that the other archer had put down his weapon. "Superboy's developed his heat vision. Anything that's iced can be melted."

"I'm worried about the time he's given us. In there for three days. The chances of any of them being alive right now are slim to none," said Roy, being realistic about it. "The real objective of this would be to get the Prime Minister out and take down Captain Cold before he can find Babs, if she's even alive."

"Rob's got three bullets in him," reminded Wally with a sober face. "That can't be good for the kid. He's not like us."

"Not like you guys, anyways." Artemis pushed her way into the group right between Wally and Conner. "Roy and I can take bullets and push through pretty good considering. And I know for a fact that Rob wears a lot of armor under the costume. Light stuff, not much to stop bullets, but enough that it didn't like pierce a lung or anything." She fingered the edge of her bow nervously. "His main issue would be blood loss."

A somber Roy nodded his agreement. And he hated agreeing with her almost as much as he hated the word "sidekick".

"So we've got a way to deal with the ice, save Cassie since the chances are good she'll be doing alright. Frozen solid, no big deal. Cavemen have survived it, right?" Wally was totaling up the issues on his fingers. "We could probably send Miss M in to take care of Babs. Hopefully she's not dead."

"As long as it didn't hit a serious artery, she should be fine for a few more days." Roy also fingered his bow, wondering if he shouldn't have it pointed at Artemis at all times, just for safety purposes. "Barbara's a good kid. We shouldn't have to be too worried about her."

Wally put up another finger and tapped it with his other hand. "Then we got BB, wherever the Hell he is." The redhead let his gaze stray to the ceiling before finishing his unended thought. "Odds are good that he used a small animal, a grasshopper, let's say, to get into the control room to tap Robin's tech in. And grasshoppers are susceptible to cold the way Meg's susceptible to fire. He's probably in hibernation mode or something on accident. Rigged up for the wrong body."

Superboy cleared his throat. "Tula."

"My guess is that she got captured," said Artemis to throw in her two-pence to the discussion. "I trust the girl and she's great and everything, but she's not the greatest fighter. Garth had her beat, no questions asked."

"Before he quit," spat Wally, words fierce. They lost two Aqualads in a little less than three years. Pitiful. And Garth had just walked out, the same way Conner and Roy had so long ago.

"And who's going to get Robin?" asked Megan, speaking up as the moonlight washed over her face that was now a milky white after embracing her true heritage. She was almost grateful that no one had commented on it yet.

"Captain Cold first." Superboy seemed to be taking over the leadership role of the team, something he never thought he'd ever do. He never thought he had the level head for it. "Robin second. He's about three minutes out of the actual warehouse at Kid Flash speed." Conner looked at the faces around him. "Here's how we're going to do it.

"Roy, you and Artemis get to go in and take care of Batgirl. I'll melt the worst of the ice off the building so none of us are sliding around and looking ridiculous. Artemis, see if you can take care of her while Roy covers for you in the case of minions hanging around. She needs to be taken care of immediately. Knowing Batman, there should be first aid supplies in the belt. Ask her where it would be if she's still conscious.

"Wally, I'll need you to see if you can do a superspeed inferno to heat up Cassie. We'll need her help to take care of Captain Cold if she's capable. I figure you'll know how to take care of things once she's out. I want you two in charge of the main mission of taking care of the Prime Minister."

He got a little soldier salute from Wally that was accompanied by a cocky grin.

The blue eyes of the clone turned to Miss Martian. "M'gann, I want you to search for Beast Boy and Tula. Take Red Arrow with you if Artemis does not need him. I'm sure she'd be perfectly capable of taking care of Batgirl on her own."

"I usually am," said a confident Artemis, arms now folded across her chest, her cerulean gaze fixated on Superboy. For some reason, she had found it easier to look away from his abs. Ever since Wally, no buff guy had ever looked the same. All she had really wanted was that stupid ginger. But he wasn't taking her back. Not after the Kaldur incident.

"I'll try to melt as much of the building as I can to make everything easier on the rest of you. Does that sound good to everyone?" Superboy's blue stare looked at the faces around him, each one set with fierce determination. The determination that only loyal friends and teammates could wear.

"We may need you to help with Babs if we can't get her out on our own," said Roy, looking to Artemis to see her shaking her head for a moment.

"I've got flares. Fire should fix it right up."

Wally pressed a hand to his temple as his gaze found Artemis. "Is it wrong that I'm afraid of you with fire?" he asked with a slightly smug smirk on his features. Jade eyes glimmered with faint laughter. He missed the days when he had this sort of family around him… A family of friends where old jokes could never die…

"I'd be more afraid of Megan with fire," remarked Artemis before pulling her arm through her bow so the weapon was ready whenever everyone was ready to leave.

"And how are we going to get Robin?" asked Miss Martian from her position between Superboy and Red Arrow. Her fingers nervously felt at her cape, rubbing it between the pads of her fingers, the soft blue fabric almost like silk as it pressed to her back.

Ready to clear that up was Conner. "Meet up outside, let Cassie, Tula, and Beast Boy finish the mission as long as it's still an active threat. They should be able to take care of Barbara as well. If Tula and Beast Boy are incapable, Robin may have to wait a bit longer."

"Or we could call in the League," suggested Roy, his mind elsewhere with that suggestion. "All we'd have to do would be infiltrate the facility and let them take care of Cold while we-"

"No." Wally had instantly picked up on the tension that had come prickling off of Artemis. "We can take care of this ourselves. Robin called us, not the League, remember? He trusts us to get the job done because he knows they can't do it." His gaze was hard as he stared at the mask that hid Harper's eyes. "Our job, not theirs."

"He called us for a reason." Superboy's voice was solid and stony; he wasn't giving this to the League either, although it was for a completely different motive. "Robin wants us to get him and his team out of there because we were the first." His azure gaze scanned the people before him, humans and meta-humans alike. "This one's for Robin."

There was a long pause that Artemis interrupted. "Everyone ready?" She had noticed that Roy had drawn his bow just like she had and that M'gann had pulled down her hood, the shadows coming off of her face. Wally had fastened his goggles to his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

"Let's do this shit."

Wally smirked at Roy's comment.

Superboy still took up his position as leader of this. He had already orchestrated most of it. "Wally, you carry Artemis down to the facility. M'gann, you and I can fly." He put a hand on Roy. "I'll carry you down there."

"Is it bad that I always forget you can fly?" asked Wally with his satisfied smirk as he scooped Artemis up in his arms bridal style before bolting off in a burst of light. No one would've been surprised if Kid Flash had suddenly developed light speed. They all would've actually been impressed, really. Barry had said that he'd gotten to the point of moving his molecules through walls…

"Let's go," said Superboy, picking his feet up off the ground and floating like it was a natural thing to do. He offered a hand down to Roy who grabbed his wrist; Conner did the same. Megan pulled her hood back over her face, brown eyes blazing with determination.

As they took off, Megan a bit slower than Superboy, the girl said in a low voice, "Kaldur would be proud."

"I hope so."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ah, just that pinch of Supermartian for you guys. I can't do the fluffyfluff stuff. It fries the brain… Reviews are great. Leave one. Next chapter should be up soon.**

**~Sky**


	3. Part 3

**A/N: "Because the last time you saw me is still burned in the back of your mind. You gave me roses, and I left them there to die." ~ 'Back to December', Taylor Swift.**

**Paying more tribute to my muse. Anyways, sorry for the delay on this one, had to wrap up my other stories then get back to this. Also, sorry if this one's a bit more choppy, but if I let it flow too good, it'd be… strange. Thoughts through mental link are in **_**italics**_**.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice nor any associated characters. Everything belongs to DC Comics. Quote belongs to Taylor Swift.**

* * *

><p><strong><span>The <span>Last Time I Saw You**

Wally put Artemis down, knowing the others would take another minute to get here. His eyes turned on her expectantly as the two crouched behind bushes outside the facility. "We need to talk."

"Wa-"

"You killed Kaldur, you didn't return my calls, and we've danced more than once in the field. We're going to talk." His voice was solid; this was a fight he wasn't backing down from. He wanted his answers and he was damn well ready to get them. She wasn't getting away with this; Artemis wasn't going to escape him again. He was nearly the fastest man alive and she was always getting away. How that happened, he had no idea.

"Wally, I love you, I do, but we've got a mission and teammates so this discussion will have to wait, seriously." She had put two fingers to his lips and hissed out the words like a cobra, venom in her voice. "Shut up or I'll kill you, cool beans?"

He knew her just a little too well. He shut up. But Wally's heart continued to thump in his chest with the sound of a big bass drum. He'd heard her say the first part. Yeah, she'd threatened to kill him, but that was a normal thing nowadays. Everyone was always threatening someone.

Red Arrow dropped in through the trees as M'gann landed; Superboy took up his mark, blazing blue orbs finding their target before firing off red-hot lasers at the building, ice instantly melting into water that rushed down the sides of the building, his dark form floating in the air like a black ghost. "Show time, ladies," breathed Roy as he nocked an arrow and led the way out of the bushes, moonlight washing over his crimson costume as he moved forth to flush out the baddies, Artemis at his side as the Kryptonian had instructed. No one was stupid enough to argue with Superboy.

Wally was out of the bushes and into the building faster than all of them; he was just a blur that disappeared inside, a flash of yellow in a tight costume, no name, no emotion, just a mission. The redhead quickly set to work in trying to find Cassie as instructed. They'd need Wonder Girl if she were still conscious and active.

M'gann's telepathic range cast out into her surroundings. She felt the link between teammates, her mind connecting with Conner's first as was only natural; Artemis came online second, Roy soon after her; Wally was last and all she could feel from him was a desperate need to find Wonder Girl. _Everyone online?_

_If Artemis doesn't kill one of us first. _It was obviously Roy.

If it were possible to give mental slaps, Roy would've gotten one from Wally. A scolding came from Superboy with words that Megan didn't want to repeat, not even in her head. She wasn't sure why there was so much bad blood here. Wally didn't want to try. Roy was being a pain in the ass, to say the least. Artemis was putting forth the effort, but that was useless since she was always being pushed back by her fellow archer. Superboy and herself seemed to be the only two with their heads on straight.

_Eyes on the prize,_ reminded Conner gently, his gaze still frying the building's frozen hull. _Captain Cold, then Robin._

Bloody images of Robin flooded through the minds of the newly reformed team. Bullets whistling past his face, blue eyes shining through the domino mask with fear, blood, blood, oh the blood, a limp child in the cold hands of death, ice everywhere, so much blood... so much blood...

_Pull it together,_ reminded Miss Martian, doing her best to block those thoughts in her own mind. With the war and thoughts going on through so many of her people's minds, this wasn't anything new to her. War was war and blood and death was a factor in it. She knew the pain the Boy Wonder must be suffering as much as they did, but she didn't have to think about it. There was a mission; their priorities had to be straight or else the whole thing would be for nothing. _Focus._

Thoughts of bows and corridors and heat filled their minds again like a song that belonged there. Sure, it wasn't the teen thoughts M'gann was used to, but it was better than Roy's harping and the bloody images of their little bird.

_Found Cassie. _The image of the girl frozen in ice came through the link, the path that the speedster had traveled being specifically sent to Red Arrow and Artemis; the two quickly changed their course. Wally took a moment to observe the frozen girl, her lasso frozen solid, her facial expression one of sheer horror, her body, well-

_Wally!_ It was that familiar voice with that familiar irritated ring to it that made his heart shudder a little bit. _You're such a pervert! _And he knew he was still in love with the damn archer.

_Take care of it, Wally, _came Roy's instructions as he ran alongside of the blonde whose face had turned disgusted in a heartbeat, possibly less_. We need her help. _Although he didn't want to admit it, Red Arrow was pretty sure that whatever had happened before with his two teammates hadn't ended yet.

Wally was already running. _On it._He was so glad they had the mental link.

Megan's range caught three more minds. Barbara was nearby. Near Wally, she could tell. Artemis and Red Arrow were on their way over there; they'd help her. Then another mind was linked up. All it was thinking was _Pizza with rutabaga, pizza with rutabaga, pizza with rutabaga. _Beast Boy was alive. From the sound of it, Miss Martian assumed that Wally was right: the shapeshifter had gone into the wrong body and drifted into hibernation. She could sense a dreamlike quality to his thoughts.

A bit further out was Tula. She was still in the building, cursing as something or someone with foul words in her native language, the words unable to be translated by the Martian girl who was hearing them. She was from Mars, not Atlantis.

One of the two problems could be solved simply by sending a command. M'gann fired off something like a mind-bullet that jolted Beast Boy awake, his head suddenly back in the game after three days of sleep. _Find Captain Cold, _instructed the White Martian to green-skinned boy, her command fierce and focused. There was no argument from the other end.

Tula, on the other hand, would be a bit harder to deal with.

Artemis and Roy made their way past Wally who had melted Cassie only a little bit, water trickling down the rest of the ice like a pitiful waterfall. The redhead fired off his shot, a wire attached. The arrow met its mark. "Come on." Without hesitating, the older grabbed the blonde by the waist and held her close to his chest while the grip that had been sealed into his quiver and attached to the other end of the wire was pulled out; Roy clasped the grip and allowed it to reel them up into the rafters where they could faintly make out the purple outline of a bloodied Batgirl.

_Coming in, _informed Superboy, floating in to join the red-haired girl that was floating just inside the doorway. "What's the status?" he asked, hanging in the air beside her and resisting the urge to reach for her hand.

"Beast Boy has been taken care of, Aqualass is still questionable, Wonder Girl is semi-melted, and Batgirl's status is in the works," said Megan, managing to listen to all the minds around her as if they were one working body, a machine, almost. She didn't even need to ask. "Everything is going smoothly for now." Even she wasn't going to assume that this would go perfectly. It never did. Even recon missions went badly for them back when they had had more experience in the field.

"Then let's go find Aqualass." He took the lead, taking the instructions that she fed him as the two soared down halls and corridors in search of their quarry.

"Wow," remarked Roy with a wince at the sight of Batgirl's blue and black leg, crimson staining her costume. Frozen crimson. "That's really bad." He had an arrow in his bow, strung and ready for any sudden movements that should reveal the location of a minion. He wasn't taking any chances. Not with Robin already on the line.

"Fifth pouch to the right," instructed Batgirl as the green-clad archer began to mend wounds that the redhead knew wouldn't heal. "It's not as painful as it looks. The ice numbed it, I guess. Froze my blood." The bat elicited a sad laugh. "Can't die. I drink the melting water, food in my belt. It could be worse." She gave a weak shrug and winced as Artemis moved her a little bit to get to the said medical supplies.

"In my quiver, I have a flare. Grab that," instructed the blonde to Roy. "If you can take the tip off of one of my arrows and put some of the flare's lighter fluid on that, you can use the trigger mechanism to start a little fire and use that like a giant match." Artemis pulled out a gauze wrap and an array of disinfectants and painkillers in small bottles and tubes. How Batman managed to fit so much worthless stuff into those belts, the world may never know.

"Resourceful," muttered Barbara with a weak smile. "I always did like that about you, Arty."

Roy, grudgingly, did as was instructed, the flare pulling apart quickly as an arrow tip came off and his own bow was put down.

_And Cassie is good to go! _Wally caught the falling demi-goddess in his arms as her icy cocoon fell away to reveal her form as glowing as ever. She was shaken out of her stupor with surprising vigor, her eyes widening at the sight of finding herself falling into the arms of the ginger speedster. He wasn't even a hero anymore! How had he ended up on this mis-

"Captain Cold," instructed Wally with a brief nod, only to see her return that nod and head off to take care of her business. _Taken care of, what's next?_

_Two out of five,_ replied M'gann as she and Superboy hovered just outside a doorway while watching Tula sitting tied to a chair with ice all around her, her breath coming out in puffs of white smoke. Guards stood around her, all dressed like Eskimos in Alaska. It only took a moment for Superboy's heat vision set the room sizzling and send the men fleeing, all of them being whisked into an open box that Miss Martian had placed in front of the only other open doorway. Her telepathy closed the box, screams of terrified men coming from within. Conner was quickly down untying Tula's bonds. _Three down._

_Two to go, _finished Roy as he melted the icicle that had driven into the leg of the female gymnast. "Have you heard from Robin?" asked the archer as he waved the burning shafts near the ice and watched beads of water drip down it.

"Our comms died yesterday," breathed Batgirl as pain shot through her. Artemis was careful wiping up the freshest of the blood. The redhead knew this wasn't going to work. She wouldn't be able to walk, she wouldn't be able to be Batgirl, this whole thing would be over for her just because of this one stupid mission, the Olympics down the toilet, all her dreams tossed into the wind... "I haven't heard from him."

There was a pause. Artemis even stopped working. The same thing was on everyone's minds. _We just got the message earlier tonight. _Artemis was the first to react to this.

_He said three days, _added Wally, the seriousness of this situation finally dawning on him.

_And that they had communications at the time the message was sent_. Megan was doing her slow and painful calculations.

Roy swallowed hard. _That means it could've been sent as early as-_

No one wanted to finish that.

_How's Batgirl? _came Conner's voice through the link, trying to keep a cool head like Kaldur would. He wished Kaldur were there so badly... He would always know what to do... Kaldur knew how to fix everything...

_This is really bad._ Artemis sent a few images of the wound to the rest of the crew. _We need to call the League in for this because I can't fix this. It's too big. Too much blood if we melt it much farther. Batgirl needs serious medical attention, stat._

_But Rob,_ whimpered Wally through the link, not wanting to call in the League and deal with that confrontation now. _What if Cassie or Gar came back and-_

_Two separate missions,_ reminded Superboy, making his way to the front of the building once more with M'gann close behind, his ever loyal follower in mind and spirit. _We have to put Robin second. Someone call the local hospital._

Roy handed the flare to Artemis. "How do you explain _this _to the local law?" he asked with a heavy sigh as Batgirl gave a little moan, her leg regaining some feeling as the ice melted away into droplets of water. Like tears.

"Tell them, don't explain. Girl in the rafters, bring a firetruck, hurry your asses up and here are our coordinates, it's Justice League business, chop chop or else Batman'll kill you," said the female archer in her blunt, yet effective manner. Artemis continued to wave the flare as it burned down further and further on the arrow's shaft. "Try not to think too hard, Arrowboy."

He hissed and pulled out his cellphone.

Sirens were wailing within a few seconds and the five, not heroes but something damn close, stood there with the icy building behind them, one White Martian giving instructions to where the broken girl was being sheltered before rejoining the rebuilt team. "She's been taken care of," breathed Megan with a slightly relaxed sigh.

"Robin time," said the ginger speedster, jade eyes flicking around to the array of faces that bore worried and hopeful expressions.

"Let's go." Superboy clasped Roy's wrist as the archer did the same.

Artemis wasted no time in moving to her redhead and letting him once more scoop her up in his arms and carry her to their destination. Wally was off in a blur.

Megan stayed close behind Superboy, her mind trying to keep happy thoughts going. Happy thoughts. She could only think happy thoughts...

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I know there was one awkward part where Artemis and Roy were going up to Batgirl with the grip and wire and stuff. Generally, it's a grappling hook, but arrow-style. I had a hard time writing that. Also, I don't know the personalities of Aqualass or Wonder Girl, so I was avoiding writing them. Beast Boy, I'm using the Titans version as my basis. Anyways, sorry if any of the three feel OOC to you. I'm not very savvy in the comic world ^.^'**

**Reviews are good, feedback is better, and chocolate cake is love!**

**~Sky**

**P.S. This is now a four-shot.**


	4. Part 4

**A/N: This is the final piece of this story. Yes, final. No sequel, nothing. Unless someone wants to throw ideas out there; I'm willing to listen. Anyways, here's the final part of "The Last Time I Saw You".**

**Sidenote: I don't know the personality of Wonder Girl, so I was kind of winging it for the two paragraphs she actually speaks in. Still, I use the Titans BB.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or any associated characters.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Last Time I Saw You<strong>

Never before had bullets hurt so bad. The one day he'd forgotten to be safe and wear his extra layer of armor… The one day…

He was keeled over in a pile of his own blood, fighting to breathe; the carbon dioxide was coming out of his bloodied mouth in puffs of wispy white smoke. This wasn't going to work. His chest was heaving. Most of his wounds had healed to the point of no longer bleeding, but that didn't make up for all the blood he'd already lost.

So cold… It hurt…

The computer on his wrist still wasn't waking up. He'd messed with his cell phone enough times to know that if you turned it on and off, it usually regained charge. Of course, Wayne Tech couldn't do all of that. Nope. No, cell phones, lousy little cell phones, could regain charge, but not his computer. Why hadn't Batman thought of a solar panel or something?

The throbbing in his head picked back up and it almost felt like his brain was going to explode.

This wasn't working. Five days. He'd seen the sun rise and set five times. He'd counted almost like a prisoner, his finger swiping over a frosty spot on the control panel that he was leaning against to make a tally mark. Five days. Five sunrises, five sunsets.

Was Babs alive? Hell, he hadn't thought about her for a few hours. They were virtually in the same condition, her only doing better due to the fact that her blood had frozen around the wound. His hadn't.

No, this wasn't going to work.

* * *

><p>If there was ever a time life would suddenly sprout the ability to play background music, Wally would've been hearing a sad piano piece running through his mind. Artemis in his arms, his broken heart cradled in his chest, the love of his life so close but so far. And just looking on what all they'd done in the past few hours, all teamed up again like they had once been, he was unable to remember what had happened. Because what <em>had<em> happened?

Once upon a time, there was a clone and three boys, two being mischievous, the third following along to save the first two.

Then along came a Martian, the sweetest thing in the galaxy, always making cookies, always saying her little catchphrase, always being somewhat annoying.

An archer was thrown into their midst, one with a tortured past almost as bad as that of a certain bird, one with an attitude on 'er. She would only play a small role in the grand scheme of the world.

Then a second archer. Backing down from his solo deal, he had resorted to staying with his friends instead of submitting to his mentor. Being bossed around by a bat was better than by a lowly arrow.

Seven of seven. Now five of seven. In reality, five of six.

Because once upon a time, Kaldur'ahm, Aqualad, was alive.

_What had happened?_

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't need you!" That was Superboy's howl. Those sapphire eyes were staring into their mirrors, the younger's burning with anger and all the pent up rage from being ignored all along.<em>

_Now was the time when Robin was staring, jaw agape, horrified._

_No._

"_Conner, I ca-" Kent was cut off by his clone._

"_Don't call me that!" Conner's voice rang through the darkness like an echo. He wasn't just yelling. He was screaming. Screaming as if all of this was finally going to make him explode. He was losing it. Losing his mind, or at least what little was left of it._

_Eighteen. And finally, finally, almost two years later, Superman was deciding to care. Finally. After all the begging and pleading from the rest of the Justice League and after multiple requests from the clone himself, Superman was finally deciding to care._

_Superboy was about to blow a gasket._

"_I'm not Conner, I'm not your son, my last name isn't Kent and you're nothing to me!" Tendons in his neck were stretched and an angry vein was pulsing at his temple. Blue eyes blazed furiously. "You used to be a hero." The words were hissed, an angry hiss. "Now you're nothing to me."_

_That was that. No more._

_Robin's eyes stared through the domino mask as he watched the now silent form of the clone walk out the door to the cave, the system announcing his departure, although it wouldn't say how long he would be gone. Everyone knew that it meant for good._

_If only the computer had said it._

_If Robin had only known that it was just the beginning._

_That was the last time he'd seen Conner._

* * *

><p>Roy was put down outside the door. He found himself standing next to Artemis; it struck him that she didn't bother him as much. The only thing that truly irked him was the fact that she had murdered Aqualad. But as long as his mind was off of that, she wasn't half bad.<p>

She'd saved Babs. She'd cooperated. She was a fighter, he'd always known that. And even if she was a crook now, he couldn't complain; he didn't have the right to. In a way, he was a crook as much as her. He still went by the name of Red Arrow, but that didn't mean he was as innocent as Speedy once was.

Drugs, a criminal girlfriend, and a kid later, he knew he was just as bad as she was. The only difference: there was no blood on his hands.

"Upstairs," said Miss Martian, her fingers on her temples as she traced Robin's brainwaves back to the position and coordinates they had originally received the signal from. "We'll have to take the stairs. Superboy and I are the only ones who can fly."

A nod from Roy and he was bolting up the stairs, Artemis and Wally close behind. He could only figure that M'gann and Conner would be following them…

* * *

><p><em>Her arrow was pointed at his chest; she knew it shouldn't be there, but that was her first instinct. Before she knew what she was doing, her fingers released the arrow.<em>

_There was no time for Kaldur to react. The last word that came from his mouth was "Crock". Then all that was left of Aqualad was the bloody body. A pool of crimson was forming around him. Not a pool, a lake. An ocean. Red blood everywhere._

_If she'd hit him anywhere else, he might've lived. In the leg, in the arm, in the shoulder, anywhere. An arrow to the heart had stolen Kaldur'ahm's life._

_He'd been in the shadows, watching. Kaldur had requested that he stay close in case she got hostile. Not even Robin had had time to react. He usually had reflexes to rival almost the entire Justice League._

_Since that moment, part of him had been guilty for not saving Kaldur. The other part was burdened with the same guilt for a different reason. Only a hacker could've found the information on Artemis. Robin's chest had been heavy with the knowledge of it all ever since. Nothing had been the same, but it was put on his mind the same way his parents' deaths were. Moments where he should've done something._

_But that wasn't the last time she saw him._

_It had been an explosive argument. Not like there wasn't a long list of those, but this one had come down to fists and arrows._

_Robin was almost afraid Wally would meet the same death Aqualad had but with a different reason behind the arrow to the chest._

"_You don't have to be such a bitch about everything!"_

"_You should start being on time!"_

"_Yeah, but if I was on time, I would be a lot less charming, wouldn't I?"_

"_What does that have to do with anything?"_

_It was almost as if his ears were bleeding. God, if he didn't listen to the same argument every day, he wouldn't believe it was capable for people to argue this much and still hold a relationship. This was getting only a little bit ridiculous. He was fed up, they were fed up, Megan was fed up, it was all so tiring after so much fighting…_

"_Then we're done!" Artemis had the final say. No, it wasn't because he was always late. It was because he would forget her birthday, he would forget when he needed to pick her up, he would forget what he was supposed to be doing, he'd leave her stranded in the middle of a fight just for no reason other than to be her Knight in Shining Armor later on. Even if it meant putting her life at risk. Everyone knew it, everyone could see it. Four of them there, Beast Boy on his way with bags packed and Artemis had reached the breaking point. "I'm so sick of you!"_

_The last time he saw her, she was grabbing her bow and quiver and leaving Mount Justice, the system announcing her departure._

_It didn't know how long forever was._

* * *

><p>Why couldn't they just fly up?<p>

Conner hated running. Yes, he could run faster than most people, but that didn't mean he'd want to run up multiple flights of stairs to get to Robin. He wanted to get to the child as much as the next guy, but Red Arrow probably had some kind of grappling hook… But did it work on a twelve-story tall control tower? Probably not, Superboy figured.

The steps seemed to take forever. He kept looking back at Megan. All he could see was that she was trying to focus on something. Her fingers were on her temples and her eyes were closed despite the way she was practically gliding up the stairs like a pixie. He admired it but at the same time was afraid. They weren't linked. What was she doing?

Robin. He could only figure that she was trying to keep some sort of connection with the little bird.

He could've been up there for a week for all they knew. Superboy's eyes were horrified. A week trapped in this tower… And he'd lost communications with Batgirl yesterday… Dread ran through his body. This wasn't looking good. Not good at all. All he could do was hope. That was all there was left to do. He couldn't fly up. He couldn't go and help the way he wanted to.

Conner could hope and wish and pray, but that didn't make any difference. He knew they were on a time limit and that was something that couldn't be beaten. Not with such little notice…

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm sorry," she'd said as she kissed the youngest member's cheek in a loving way. Sisterly love, of course. Her heart had always belonged to Conner. "Mars needs me like Earth needs you."<em>

_He hadn't wanted her to go. She was the only sane one (for the most part) out of the whole team. Or at least out of everyone that was left._

_Wally, Tula, Beast Boy, Megan, and himself were the few that made up the latest team. Roy had been a recent ditcher and Artemis was almost a distant memory. Robin was comfortable with all the others, but Megan was always a good friend, a good teammate, a good cookie-baker. He wasn't sure what he'd do without his daily fix of sweets._

"_You sure, Megalicious? 'cause you know, even with Supey gone, I'm still here." Wally had never given up. With Artemis around, he'd gone quiet, but he was always chasing something he couldn't. Megan. His eyebrows wriggled in her direction. "Don't forget about me, beautiful."_

_She gave that polite smile and her head tilted to one side as she brushed a few stray strands of her crimson hair away from her face. "I won't, Wally." The way she said his name had turned the ginger's cheeks a fiery red, red enough to rival his hair._

_Waves were tossed to Aqualass and Beast Boy, the two who she had never gotten close to, and then she was gone. Megan's name echoed through the halls as the voice announced her departure._

_It didn't understand forever._

_Robin understood forever._

_Wally stared off at her until Robin waved one of the last cookies she would ever make in his face and the redhead was instantly wolfing it down._

_Not even Wally understood forever._

_That was the last time he'd seen M'gann M'orzz._

* * *

><p>It wasn't that Artemis hated stairs. She just hated the dramatic climax that stairs built up. Twelve stories and they were only on the sixth. Why did they have to take the stairs? Robin was the top priority, not getting up there as a group. Who didn't understand this?<p>

She respected Conner. She admired Conner. Not just because he had nice abs and gorgeous eyes, but because of his strong personality. Red Arrow had it too, but it wasn't as demanding. There were days, but not nearly enough to rival Superboy. She couldn't help but respect him.

And the role he was taking on. Surely, Roy, with the most experience out of them all, would've been happy to take the lead? No. He was happy to let Superboy be in charge. Artemis almost questioned why. To pin the blame? To get off guilt-free? She shook her head. Nothing bad was going to happen. Barbara was safe. Beast Boy was conscious again. Tula was no longer a prisoner. Wonder Girl was perfectly fine. Everything was going great. Nothing would go wrong.

"Seventh floor?" she heard Wally groan from behind her. She almost let one foot fly up a little higher as she stepped to give him a good kick, but she refrained. As much as she was hurting, she knew she didn't need to give him another bruise to worry about. They had to get Robin, not kill each other. She'd almost killed him twice before, but now was not a good time.

"Hush up," came her hiss through gritted teeth. Sweat dripped down her brow and onto the green costume that she had donned for this mission. Any other day, she could run around in a tank top and some shorts with her crossbow and start killing people. Justice League stuff required a different identity. The good Artemis. "Just keep running."

Just keep running. She had to remind herself too. The mental wear-and-tear she was taking from the stairs was enough to make any normal person go insane, but the physical motion of running up the long, winding stairs was getting tiring even for her, someone with the best physique in Gotham, possible within the League of Shadows as well.

She kept running.

* * *

><p>"<em>You think I <em>want_ to be a sidekick forever?" Wally's words were laced with venom. He was tired of being looked down upon, being a sidekick, being used, being a tool, being someone to be counted on, someone who could always take a beating and bounce right back. He wasn't a punching bag, he wasn't a tool, and he certainly wasn't going to stay Kid Flash for the rest of his life. Even the thought of it made him was to hit something._

_He almost thought he felt like Superboy would._

_Robin was desperate. The last one. The final member of the original four. The final member of the original six. The final member that he could trust with his life, the person he worked best with, the person he could confide in for anything… The last person he truly knew… was leaving him. "Wa-"_

"_I'm not doing this anymore!" He threw his hands in the air. In a Roy fashion, Wally whipped off the mask and threw it on the ground before repeatedly stomping on it and grinding it into the ground with his heel until it was just a dirty piece of fabric. "Robin, you're the best friend a guy could ask for, but you knew this was coming. You've known since Conner left!"_

_He thought he felt tears in his eyes… He wasn't sure. All he knew was that he wanted to go back to simpler times, back when Kaldur was in charge, back when all these responsibilities mattered less…_

"_You knew it would end like this, Rob." Wally shook his head, his eyes not even watching his friend. His gaze was stuck on the cold stone ground of Mount Justice. He could feel Cassie's eyes on him, cold and ashamed. Tula was already glaring. Gar wasn't even there, the lucky son of a bitch. And Babs had yet to join. She was the last one on the case. "You always knew it would end like this."_

_He had. He'd known this whole time they'd end up going off on their own, making their own names, taking their own cities… But so soon… And abandoning him… On his own… All alone… He thought the day was farther off._

_He was wrong._

"_I'm sorry, Rob. I just can't do this anymore. I'm not a sidekick and the way I get treated, I'm not even sure if I'm cut out to be a hero." Last words he'd ever said in Mount Justice. That he wasn't cut out to be a hero. And he left, superspeed carrying him out the door, not even giving the system time to register him._

_Robin hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. That was the last time he saw Kid Flash._

* * *

><p>M'gann was falling behind. She saw Superboy slow down a bit to keep an eye on her. "I'm losing his brainwaves," she said almost breathlessly. On Mars, they didn't have stairs. In Mount Justice, they had stairs, but they were less narrow, less enclosing. These stairs were too hard to fly up. "I can't keep a connection with him."<p>

She could see all the questions in his eyes, but he was more worried about getting her up the stairs so they didn't fall behind. "Come on," he said in his gruff voice and grabbed her hand before continuing up the stairs.

It wasn't normal that she couldn't keep a connection. Usually she could keep her mind linked with someone over a wider range since she'd gotten better with her telekinesis and such, but having him so close but unable to keep the mental link… "We have to hurry," she breathed.

Superboy relayed the message to Wally. Wally called up to Roy. And the older archer gave a grunt before now taking the steps two at a time, looking awkward, but moving faster. As long as he was moving faster. Conner kept his grip on M'gann's wrist and continued to move quickly up the narrow passage, stairs still winding.

Megan looked at the wall to see the number nine flash by. They weren't going to make it. _We're coming, Robin._

* * *

><p>"<em>You and your fucking team can all just die and rot in Hell!" Anger was rolling off of him in waves. After being treated like a sidekick, then a lowlife vigilante, and then back to semi-hero, now dropping back to sidekick, he was done. The whole thing was just getting to him. He was too fed-up, too tired, to annoyed, this wasn't working, it wasn't going to happen. Roy was sick of dealing with children. He wanted to run the big races, hang out with the older kids, be himself, be a hero, and most of all, be respected.<em>

_Because he wasn't a child. He wasn't a sidekick. He was his own entity, his own mind, his own soul, his own body. He wasn't going to follow in anyone's footsteps. It wasn't his path anymore. He wouldn't be pitied, he wouldn't be a sidekick._

_He was a hero. He was Roy Harper, dammit._

"_That's a bit rude, don't you think?" asked Beast Boy, speaking up first and taking the blow for Robin who had cringed away as if given a physical blow. "I mean, what did we ever do to you?"_

"_You knocked me down a peg." Roy's eyes were blazing behind the domino mask. His bow was on the ground. He'd thrown it there out of rage. He wasn't going to do this anymore. No more. "You all made me look bad. I was solo. Then I came back because Robby-boy needed me. And now, I can't go solo again without being under Green Arrow's supervision. Do you know how that reflects on me as a hero?"_

_Robin didn't want to take that. He was the leader here; he didn't have to take shit from anybody. "Roy-"_

_His was now roaring. "Don't you 'Roy' me, Grayson! You make me look bad every day! _I'm_ the oldest, _I_ should be the leader, not you in your wimpy little costume with your wimpy little toys! You're not even worth being called a sidekick! Look at you in your pretty little tights and your pretty little colors and all the-"_

"_Can it, Harper." Cassie was standing up to him. A fist was waggling in his face. "Don't make me do something we'll both regret." She was standing in front of him and staring into the domino mask as if she could see into his soul. "You don't need to give us this shit. Take it back to your little city and angst it up there."_

_The bow took a swift kick and it slid to Robin's feet as the smaller boy looked to it and then back to Roy. He didn't touch it, didn't move it, just stared after Roy._

"_Red Arrow, B06."_

_Robin walked away from the bow, leaving Cassie to pick it up and promptly snap it over her knee before tossing the broken toy in the trash. "We don't need him anyways," she said while walking past Beast Boy. Robin just barely heard her. "We're fine on our own."_

_Two weeks later, Batgirl joined._

_They didn't need Roy Harper._

_But that was the last time Robin had seen him._

* * *

><p>"Shit." Roy was the first to hit the top floor and see the bloody heap that was Robin. He dropped his arrow to one side of the door and darted forward, sliding across the icy floor to the control panel that the little bird was braced against.<p>

Artemis skittered in next, her bow falling on top of Roy's as she too moved across the floor, a bit more careful with the sliding. She wasn't as equipped for the cold as her other archer was. "Robin…"

"It's a lot of blood," said Harper as he quickly knelt down after a moment of catching his breath. His fingers found three bullets holes: one was just right of Grayson's heart, another near his navel, and the last up by his right shoulder. "I'm amazed he's been alive this long."

"Is he- is he okay?" Wally had stepped out of the doorway to let Conner and Miss Martian through. He wasn't about to step foot on ice. Not right now. Frozen ground and a fast guy, never a good mix. "He's not-"

Megan hovered close while Superboy joined Red Arrow with tending to the bird, Artemis watching and pointing out other injuries that the boys were missing. "He's alive," said the Martian, her eyes shut, fingers at her temples, "but just barely."

"Is he awake?" asked Artemis, careful not to bother Superboy as he worked to try and rip bits out of his shirt and cover Robin's wounds with the pieces of cloth. She reached down and gently pulled the mask from Richard's eyes.

His eyes bolted open, bright blue shining out at last.

"Rob," breathed Wally as he stood near the door. His jade eyes were wide with horror. He looked like he was in so much pain... "Dick, man…"

"There's way too much blood," said Roy as Artemis was trying to soothe Robin who wasn't speaking, not moving, just staring with those glassy blue eyes. "It's not… It's not physically possible…"

"But," Wally started, "he's still alive and he's still breathing."

"Barely breathing," remarked Conner who was still doing his best to patch up bloody, almost frozen wounds. His words were stiff, quiet. He knew. He understood.

Artemis was running her fingers through the boy's raven hair. "Wally, you're not human." She looked up to him and gave a harsh stare. "You wouldn't get it." Her attention turned back to the wounded bird who was still staring, still breathing. The archer just felt so useless… She hated being in this situation.

Dammit, why had they all left him alone? Why had he been left so damn alone?

"We can't just put some of your blood into him?" asked M'gann as she looked to both Roy and Artemis who were intently focused on either calming the Boy Wonder or helping him. "It can't be that hard, can it?"

"Different blood types, you wouldn't get it," said Roy as he began to wrap Robin up in his cape, trying to keep him warm. "If it isn't the right blood type, it's virtually the same as killing him." The redhead was barely working around Conner who was still trying to patch up holes that had been shot into Grayson. "It's just not going to work. He's too cold, too hungry."

"It's not humanly possible to pull out of this," added in Artemis as she noticed the Boy Wonder's eyes slowly shutting, the blue disappearing. "He's too cold, he's lost too much blood, and he's barely breathing. It doesn't work, guys."

"But he's Robin."

Roy looked to the door where Wally, his childhood friend, was standing, pinned to the wall, trying not to fall down.

"He's the _Boy Wonder_. He's our _leader_. He's _my best friend_. He can't die!" Tears were burning in the ginger's eyes. Why did this have to happen? If he hadn't left… Maybe if he hadn't left… Maybe if they'd all just stayed…

"He's still human," breathed Conner as he watched Richard's chest slow down. He watched as the life in the child began to fade. "He's still vulnerable." The Kryptonian leaned back on his heels, watching Roy do all he could, covering the boy in the cape, watching Artemis try to comfort him.

"But…" The strongest person Wally would ever know was fading right before his eyes.

Megan was the first to speak up. "Let him sleep."

Roy backed off, standing up and leaning against the control panel, his fingers finding ice and gripping it until his knuckles turned white as snow. Anger came off of him in rippling waves, half angry at himself and half angry at the world.

Artemis continued to silently stroke his hair, blue eyes staring through crystal tears.

Conner pulled away next, leaning back on his heels from where he crouched and watching the Boy Wonder's chest stop. His breathing slowed. His blood stopped. The beating of his heart faded to a murmur. Then it fell silent.

"Let him sleep."

That was the last time they saw him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ah, part of me wanted to do more. I literally just typed up the first paragraph of the "more", but I had to cancel it because I didn't feel like there was enough that I needed to expand on. There definitely isn't enough for another chapter though. So this is the last chapter, yes. No arguing. Leave a review if you enjoyed it.**

**~Sky**


End file.
